Katrina Survivor Debuts Special New Orleans Tour

Reprinted from Modern Agent

Inspired by her passion for her city and her long experience in the tourism industry, seventh-generation New Orleanian Pamela Pipes released a self-guided audio tour of post-Katrina New Orleans. “Hurricane Katrina: Devastation & Progress and Her Lessons for Us All” is designed for visitors to New Orleans who want to witness the effects of the nation’s most damaging natural and man-made disaster as well as the rebuilding efforts. Using the two-CD set, drivers can visit all the key sites. Pipes was uprooted by Hurricane Katrina, returning to her beloved home city just weeks after the storm. Her tourism company, New Orleans a la Carde, which stocked New Orleans and surrounding areas with tourist attraction materials, was swamped in the deluge, though she has since revived it. She has since turned Katrina’s devastation into an opportunity to give back to a community that gave her so much.

Pipes’ new business, Tours BaYou, offers self-guided audio tours that lead visitors through Katrina’s wake to experience its aftermath firsthand. During the tours, visitors will see and hear personal stories behind the most affected neighborhoods, the science underlying coastal erosion and restoration, and local tales of heroism and help. Narrators lead tourists through places including the Lower Ninth Ward, Gentilly, Lakeview, the Musicians Village and the five major levee breaks, sharing their stories at these sites. Among the narrators, all of whom are civic leaders, are New Orleans musician Charmaine Neville; Women of the Storm founder Anne Milling; and King Milling, chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Restoration. The two disc CD titled “Hurricane Katrina: Devastation & Progress and Her Lessons for Us All” covers 50 miles in three to four hours; listeners can also choose one- and two-hour options, returning to complete the tour at a more convenient time. A portion of the proceeds will visit benefit organizations that are working to rebuild New Orleans. It is available for purchase at stores throughout the New Orleans area or for download at www.alanet.com.